


The Blood Ritual Alchemists

by SakuraSamuraiGirl



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 血界戦線 | Kekkai Sensen | Blood Blockade Battlefront
Genre: Crossover, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood - Freeform, fma
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-06-30 13:42:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15752871
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SakuraSamuraiGirl/pseuds/SakuraSamuraiGirl
Summary: Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and his brother Alphonse are on a mission to Hellsalem's Lot.





	1. Chapter 1

The whistle of the train shrieked through the wind. The grassy landscape streamed through the window of the box seat. Two passengers sit across from each other. One was a young man in a red coat. Across from him, his companion, his brother in a full suit of armor. The armored passenger had the entire seat to himself. His glowing red eyes watching the green fields and trees. You wouldn’t think from their appearance that they were on a mission for the military. 

“Hellsalem’s Lot?” Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist questioned his superior, Colonel Roy Mustang, in his office.

“I don’t think I ever heard of that city,” Edward’s little brother, Alphonse Elric, a soul bonded to a suit of armor. His voice echoed from within it.

“Hellsalem’s Lot is a young city,” Col. Mustang began to explain. “A military outpost far east.”

“What’s the issue there?” asked Edward.

Mustang was silent for a minute. “These are orders from the top.”

Edward and Alphonse could hear it in the colonel’s voice. Orders from the top through Mustang usually meant something very big was happening. Most of the time, it was something the military wanted their hands on badly.

“Why send us?” Edward narrowed his eyes. “Why not asked the unit stationed there?”

Mustang sighed, “It is because the top brass finds the unit… strange and their views are frowned upon. To put it simply, they don’t trust them.”

“W-why? If they don’t trust them, why give them jurisdiction over the city?”

“The unit is very powerful. Too good not to have them a part of the military. Most of the personnel are a different sort of alchemist. Their way of alchemy is not very scientific to purist alchemist much like yourself, Edward,” Mustang grinned slyly.

Edward glared at the smirk. Nothing good comes from that teasing, smug smile.

“They are called Blood Ritual alchemists. Their alchemy and beliefs follow a more mystical path.”

“What?” Edward’s frown deepened. 

“Blood ritualists use their blood to perform their alchemy. Using blood as raw material and energy to strengthen their alchemic skills. The use of blood is mostly seen by those less knowledgeable of alchemy leaning more towards sorcery.”

“You must be joking…”

“I thought that might interest you!” Mustang chuckled. “Anyway, the one in charge of Hellsalem’s is an old friend of ours.” Mustang nodded to First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye.

The woman gave Edward a folder. Inside were papers and photo. The brothers peered at the photo and jumped. The stern face of stoicism belongs to a man with red hair and piercing green behind a pair of glasses. What made his face fierce was the fanged canine underbite.

“Whoa!” Alphonse gasped. “Those teeth!”

“What is he a chimera?” yelled Ed.

Mustang sighed, “Not quite… all the details are in the files.”

“Simply, Colonel Klaus von Reinherz is the youngest child of the von Reinherz family, a noble family that can be traced back to the dark ages. He and Major Armstrong are childhood friends. When he was a very young man he was kidnapped by a rogue alchemist. He was experimented on and the result turned him into a monster.”

“He did become a chimera!” asked Alphonse.

“No, something else.” Riza shook her head. “To give what he became a name, witnesses who saw him called him… a vampire.”

“W-what?! No way, impossible! Vampires aren’t real!” Edward yelled.

“Yet, there are reports of him when he was out of control. There were victims, victims who died by having their blood drained completely. His family captured him themselves and imprisoned him within their home. The military finally arrived to retrieve von Reinherz. When they went to claim him, he was cured.”

Edward gapped.

“He was no longer a monster.”

“Hmph, I bet the military was disappointed,” huffed Edward. “So, how was he cured?”

“According to Reinherz, a man, another alchemist had heard of Klaus’ situation and said that he could fix him, and he was true to his word, to an extent. Col. von Reinherz has inhuman strength and his blood alchemy is the more powerful over all the blood ritualist combined. Just without the need to drink blood. He was enlisted into the military and he was very willing. He is now known as the Blood Cross Alchemist.”

Mustang smiled, “We met Klaus during our training days. If it wasn’t for that alchemist and his transformation, he would have lived a quiet lifestyle. His hobbies are gardening and playing chess.” He laughed. 

Edward frowned and looked at the picture. This brute of a man liked flowers?

“He has a strong sense of justice and a desire for peace.”

“Was he with you guys in the Ishvalan war?” asked Alphonse.

Mustang and Riza’s face darkened slightly. Whenever the Ishvalan Civil War was brought up, tension always made the air heavy. 

“The war… the war nearly broke that man but he kept moving forward. That tragedy broke him down and built him back up again. That made him quite admirable and he gained quite a few loyal followers who followed him when he was assigned to Hellsalem’s Lot,” explained Mustang.

“Huh,” Alphonse tilted his head. “He’s sounds kind of like you, sir.”

Mustang smiled.

“No,” Riza stated firmly. “Colonel Klaus von Reinherz is a better man than Colonel Mustang!”

Edward snorted and laughed. Alphonse tried to smother his own laughter. Mustang bowed his head and fell into a state of depression.

On the train, the brothers thought of their mission. In Hellsalem’s Lot, there were a growing number of deaths. Murders. People being drained of their blood. It was suspected that the alchemist who had turned Klaus von Reinherz into a vampire had returned with a new vampire. Their mission was to capture the alchemist and the vampire.

Alive.

Across the aisle from them, sat two other passengers. A young man and young woman, a little older than the Elrics. They sat side by side of each other. With them was their small luggage and a wheelchair. The young man had messy brown hair. The young woman had light brown hair. Both had their eyes closed, yet they weren’t asleep.

“It’s been three years since we’ve been there, huh, Leo?”

“Y-yeah,” the young man called Leo fiddled with his camera. “You’re right, Michela. Who would of thought that we would be back to that place of our misfortunes.”

“Oh,” Michela touched his hand. “Leo.”


	2. Chapter 1

When the train neared Hellsalem’s Lot, Edward couldn’t help the feeling of apprehension. Alphonse felt strange as well. For on approach, the city could be seen from the mountainside the train was running through. Or at least the location of the city. The city was near a great lake that nearly surrounded it. Also surrounding the city was a great, thick fog that bloomed into a mushroom cloud. Edward wondered how the fog came to be. What allowed it to remain at this time of day? It was a bright sunny day, warm, and blue. Why was the fog there? Also, Edward realized that the train was near empty. Many hours ago, a great majority of passengers had been dropped off. He was asked what his destination was and when it was mentioned Hellsalem’s Lot, they acted a bit strange. Almost scared.

“Hellsalem’s is a strange place, young man!” 

“It’s a city where wizards and witches hide in the alleys!” 

“There are also rumors of strange beasts that dwell in the sewers and come out when night sets in and hunt in the very streets!”

“Why would you go there? It’s crawling with criminals and evil cults!”

That information wasn’t in the files. Wizards and witches, criminals, and monsters? Didn’t the military put those Blood Ritualists in charge of the city? Maybe the incidents based on the rumors were being unreported. This didn’t put Edward’s discomfort at ease. Something was really going with this unit and this city, something more besides the reappearance of the vampire-making alchemist. 

“Man, probably based on our record, we’re being sent to Hellsalem’s Lot to shake it up a little.”

Alphonse laughed a bit, “Yeah, we do tend to uncover secrets that the military has a hard time trying to dig up. Col. Mustang did mention that Central didn’t trust the Blood Ritualists completely.”

“They made them into their own unit, just so they could keep them in place and probably check on them from time to time. According to the files, they had sent people to them. They come back badly injured and unable to tell what happened to them. Only going by the reports, the Blood Ritualist made themselves. Half of them mysteriously disappear and the ritualist claim they had no clue. Something is up, and it’s our job to get to the bottom of it.”

“It does seem suspicious, but Col. Reinherz doesn’t sound like a bad guy. Lt. Hawkeye said he was good.”

“Yeah, they had nothing but good things to say about him. Well, we’re about to see for ourselves.”

Alphonse nodded and looked out the window. In the reflection of the window, Alphonse noticed the last two remaining passengers. It was a young man and young woman. Probably a few years older than them but not by much. They looked well-traveled wearing simple clothes with light jackets. The young lady wore a skirt. In her light brown hair was a red ribbon. She was holding the young man’s hand. The young man had his eyes closed as well, around his neck that stood out was a pair of goggles. 

“Oh, excuse me,” Alphonse started, “You’re going to Hellsalem’s Lot too?”

The young man jumped startled. This startled the girl in turn, “Leo?”

“S-sorry, Michela!” The young man looked at Alphonse, smiling sheepishly. 

“I didn’t mean to startle you!” 

The man, Leo, shook his head, “No, no, no… it’s alright, I was in my own little world.”

“That’s normal!” The young woman, Michela, teased.

Leo glared at his sister. His sister hummed innocently in return. “Anyway,” sighed Leo in exasperation. He looked to Alphonse and stared at him.

“Um,” Alphonse fidgeted.

Michela lifted her head higher. She pulled at his sleeve, “Leo,” she whispered low, “You’re… getting lost in your head again.”

Leo shook his head, “O-Oh, sorry, sorry! Got lost again!”

“Sorry, my dear big brother can be weird.”

“Yeah! They can be!”

“What was that, Alphonse!” Edward growled.

“Oh! You’re here with your big brother too! Are you going to Hellsalem’s Lot?”

“Yes, we are.”

Michela tilted her head, “By yourselves? You two sound so young… though, one of you sounds like your head is stuck in a steel bucket.”

“Oh!” Alphonse realized. “You’re… blind.”

Michela nodded, “Yup.”

“Well, you’re not wrong about the kid being in a bucket. He’s in a suit of armor!” Leo blurted.

“Really!” Michela gasped.

Edward and Alphonse became nervous. Mostly strangers keep to themselves or were polite about Alphonse’s attire. These remaining passengers were very curious, especially Leo who kept staring at Alphonse. To Alphonse however, Leo was staring at him, not his armor. It felt like he was staring right through him. At his very soul.

“Y-you’re going to Hellsalem’s Lot?” Alphonse returned to his question.

“Yeah, we are,” the sister confirmed.

“We’re looking for a special doctor,” Leo explained. “A doctor for my sister’s eyes.”

“We don’t really have to. I’m fine, Leo.”

“… But it’s my fault that you’re blind. As your big brother, I have to take responsibility and get your sight back!”

“Leo.”

Edward stared at Leo. He was the older sibling. Something happened to his little sister’s sight. Something that he felt responsible for and perhaps guilt. Edward reflected his own responsibilities that had brought him and his brother to their current situation. Years ago, when they were children, he was the driving force to break taboo to bring their mother back. Their mother died due to an illness. In their determination, they paid a great price. He lost his arm and leg, but Al. Al lost his entire body and nearly lost his soul if Edward hadn’t bound him to armor. He was determined to fix this grave mistake. Alphonse was his main priority, which is why he gave up his life to be a dog for the military. He felt Leo’s own guilt as his own.

The whistle of the train startled them all. The conductor stepped into the car. He looked between the passengers a little surprised. 

“We’re approaching our destination. Now approaching, Station 76.”

“Huh, Station 76?” Edward frowned.

“The train doesn’t pull into Hellsalem’s Lot,” Michela offered an explanation. “The city is… um, a bit dangerous. The train company stopped entering the city three years ago.”

The conductor cleared his throat and quickly exited the car. The train stopped as promised 30 miles outside the city limits. The great mushroom cloud nearly loomed over them. The city was hidden in the fog. You couldn’t see one brick or rooftop. Edward was bewildered at first. With a great sigh and decided.

“Well, looks like we’re walking.”

Edward turned to his brother, but he wasn’t at his side. He was helping Leo and Michela. Alphonse carried Michela off the train while Leo rolled a wheelchair off the train with their bags. Michela was placed in her chair. She smiled.

“Thank you, Alphonse!”

“No problem.”

“How are you going to get to the city?” asked Edward, bewildered once more.

“Oh, if we’re lucky enough, someone will drop by the station. Sometimes one or two taxis would come by and make a lot of money picking up people, but it’s rare they get passengers. Maybe a farmer would come by along the road…” Leo trailed off.

An older man approaches them.

“Mr. Elric?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

The man had a thin frame. Wavy, gray hair curtained the bandages that hid his face away. His kind, grandfatherly eyes, and his push-broom mustache were only visible. He was dressed in a crisp, pressed suit with nary a microscopic glint of lint on him. He bowed to him, placing his pristine white-gloved hand across his shoulder. 

“I am Gilbert Altstein. I serve my master, Colonel Klaus von Reinherz.”

It was mentioned by word of mouth and in the files that Col. Reinherz that he came from a well-off family. This man was his butler.

“The young master was alerted this morning that you were coming by train. As you have come to realize it no longer pulls into the city. He has sent me to pick you up.”

“He didn’t have to send his own butler for us,” Edward sighed. “We could have walked.”

Alphonse looked at the city, down on the Watch siblings, and turned to Gilbert, “Um, if it isn’t too much to ask, could they come with us?”

Gilbert looked to Leo and Michela. Mostly upon Michela’s chair. He smiled, his mustache rose. “I will be happy to help.”

Leo and Michela were shocked. Leo shook his head, “No! No, no, no, I don’t want you to get in trouble with your boss… uh, master…or…”

“It is no trouble at all! If the young master was with us he would have been the one to offer a ride.”

Leo tried to protest more, but Alphonse lifted Michela once again and Gilbert tucked her chair into the trunk of the car. The car was beyond impressive. The passengers couldn’t help but stare before they climbed in very cautiously. Gilbert chuckled at their apprehension. The interior was light and neat with plenty of leg and head room for Alphonse.

“Wow, this car is amazing! I don’t think I ever saw this model before!” Alphonse whispered in awe. “And I fit!”

Michela laughed. 

“You are about the young master’s height, Mr. Fullmetal.” Gilbert chuckled.

Alphonse rubbed the back of his head. Edward sighed heavily. Before he could speak. Leo looked to Edward, “By the way, I’m curious… you don’t have to answer but, who are you? Being picked up by a Colonel’s butler?”

“Are you the colonel’s son?” Michela asked.

Gilbert chuckled. 

“No, no,” Edward laughed. “I’m actually a state alchemist.”

“A state alchemist… Oh, I see now… it makes sense.”

“Hmm, what makes sense?” Edward asked.

“Begging your pardon, but did you say that you’re the state alchemist?” Gilbert glanced at the rear-view mirror. 

Edward grinned, “That’s right, I’m the Fullmetal Alchemist!”

“Oh my!”

Leo was still staring at Edward. Michela sensed his silence but try to pull him out of it. 

The bridge was several miles long going over the great late into the fog. Even on the bridge, you couldn’t see the city. Finally, the fog came closer, crawling towards the car. It reached out to them and Edward sucked in a breath, as though he was diving under the water. They were blind for an instant and suddenly, they were in the busy streets of Hellsalem’s Lot. Outside the city, it was bright and blue. Inside the fog, in the city, there was a haze making it slightly overcast.

“What’s up with this fog?” asked Edward.

“The fog appeared three years. No one can explain yet why it’s here, but,” Gilbert looked at the Watch siblings, “It could be discussed further once you’re introduced to Col. von Reinherz’ unit.”

Sensing that they were now intruding, Leo asked for Gilbert to drop him off. Gilbert was very kind and drove them to a decent hotel where he knew the owners personally to give them a discount.

“Thank you so much! You are all too kind!” Michela beamed.

“Yeah, we were lucky to have met you. Good luck with your… mission.” Leo wished.

“Good luck to you too,” Edward returned the wish.

Gilbert returned to the car and drove away. When the car was out of the sight, Leo slouched in relief. He was wearing a navy-blue scarf. Out of the folds of the scarf, a small white monkey with large eyes crawled out of it and climbed onto the top of his head. He petted Leo with a curious chirp. Michela touched his hand.

“Leo, what did you see.”

“Edward had seen the Truth. He had stood in front of the Door. Him and his brother. Alphonse doesn’t have a body. He is a soul bound to that armor.”

Michela was quiet. 

“A two boys who had approached the gate. The boy in red and the armored soul. Those two are who you’re assigned to watch over.”

“Yeah, they are.”

The architecture of the city was very strange the Elrics noticed on the way to the city’s military headquarters. From the bridge and throughout the city, it had an old gothic feel. In addition to the gothic-style was the strange and alien beings posed as statues, the gargoyles weren’t normal gargoyles. The designs were surreal, from beyond this world. So absorbed of the cityscape environment they didn’t realize they had stopped at headquarters until Gilbert opened the door for them. The headquarters building was just as elaborate. It was a fusion of the ye-olde fashioned fused with modern military post architecture. Inside, it was quite elaborate with toned down lighting, marble floors and wallpaper in art deco. From the entrance, it led into a long hall to a small compartment. Gilbert pressed a button for them and it opened automatically. Both Edward and Alphonse flinched away from the door.

“What?!” They gasped.

“This is an elevator. This unit works closely with a team of engineers They designed this mechanism as well as the car. Don’t worry, it’s safe.”

Gilbert held his hand towards the elevator, guiding the brothers in. Once inside, Gilbert joined them and pressed a button. The elevator hummed, and the compartment jerked up and rose. Edward felt gravity trying to drag his stomach back down to earth. He felt a little queasy, but the ride up was smooth. The doors opened to another hallway. Music, vocal classical, drifted from the double doors on the other side of the hall. They followed Gilbert to the door and it was opened for them by the butler. The office was magnificent, continuing with the theme of art deco. The color was added to the office for on nearly every surface there was a potted plant. The planets were very healthy and well-kept. In the corner of the room, stood Colonel Klaus von Reinherz, water one of the planets. 

“Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and his young brother, Alphonse Elric from Central.”

Col. Reinherz finished his watering before he set the can down. He turned to the Elrics. There were two desks in the office. The largest desk definitely belonged to the colonel before the floor to ceiling windows. Another desk was on the wall side. Another man, less tall than the colonel stood from his own desk. He had dark, slightly wavy hair, a long and handsome nose, and a scar on the side of his face that looked like a lightning bolt. 

“Welcome to Hellsalem’s Lot, Fullmetal.” 

Col. von Reinherz was looking dead at Alphonse. Edward sighed, Alphonse shifted nervously, and Gilbert’s mustache smiled.

“You certainly live up to your name with that armor.”

Gilbert cleared his throat, “Pardon me, young master, but the one in armor is Alphonse Elric. The young man in the red coat is the Fullmetal Alchemist, sir.”

Both of the men in the office were surprised. 

“This kid?” The man with dark hair blinked.

“Ah, Mr. Elric, I do apologize for my assumption, forgive me.”

Edward sighed deeply, “It happens. A lot.” He grumbled.

“My apologies,” the colonel apologized. He appeared to be very abashed for his mistake.

Edward smiled. From what he had heard from Mustang and Riza, Klaus was a good man. Very decent and kind.

“Well,” the other man in the room spoke up, “Let’s get down to business, shall we? Central sent you because they heard about our vampire problem.”

“Seriously. Vampires?” Edward takes a seat on the very comfy sofa.

The man with the scarred cheek introduced himself as Lieutenant Colonel Steven Starphase. Edward raised an eyebrow at his name, but the Lt. Col. just gave him a mysterious smile. 

“Oh, yes, vampires indeed,” Steven confirmed. “The Vampire creator has returned.”

Klaus’ face darkened and a deep low growled rolled out of him. Edward and Alphonse shuddered at the horrible, animalistic sound. He turned his back on them, looking out the window behind his desk. His large hands were clasped behind his back as he stood tall and straight.

“… I know Central sent you to apprehend the alchemist and his creations, Mr. Elric.”

“Yep, that’s the mission.” Edward confirmed, “I’ve read in your files that you were under his experimentation. You claimed that you couldn’t remember anything. That’s not true, is it? You know who he is. The alchemist that changed you.”

“….” Klaus turned to Edward. They stared at each other for a minute. “I do.”

“Sir!” Steven frowned.

“I too have heard of you. You are a gift and curse to the military. You have this habit of digging too deep into military business, so they send you away into the business of others. But, then you managed to reveal something not meant to be known. Sometimes it is beneficial to Central, other times it makes Central nervous. Col. Mustang had explained this to me. If that is true, I say,” Klaus looked to Steven and nodded, “We can trust you.”

Steven sighed and shrugged, “It’s your call, big guy.”

“I believe we can trust you from this point on, Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric. We can assume that you have no intentions of bringing the alchemist to Central.”

“No, from what I know he’s a dangerous man who turned you into a dangerous creature. You were lucky that some other alchemist came along and cured you. I want to know everything! I want to know what happened.”

Klaus nodded and took a seat at his desk.

“I was a young man when it happened. I was with my brothers at a gathering. I went out alone for fresh air. I wasn’t the man that you see me now. I was what one would call book-wormy. Scrawny. Preferred to remain indoors.” Klaus smiled. “Alex would drag me out for jogs and morning workouts. He was the foundation for my knowledge of boxing and brawling. Back then I was grateful for his visits were few and far. Mostly devoted to books, my garden, and chess playing. Went out and I was attacked from behind. Something sunk their teeth into me.” Klaus touched the side of his neck. “When I think about it, I can feel those fangs into me!” He took a deep, long breath and exhaled slowly. “It is possible that I passed out from the pain and shock. The experience was a blur. I recall getting bitten more than once, voices, and the Count.”

“The Count?” asked Alphonse.

“The Count is an alchemist that is long-lived. Perhaps several hundred years old. His knowledge of alchemy was expansive! He also had knowledge of other science, medicine, engineering, and so much more. His name is Dracule, Count Dracule.”

Edward and Alphonse were too stunned to make a sound.

“Count Dracule has a plan. He wanted to make more vampires like himself. He wanted to create an army to rule over the human race as he and his creation’s masters. I was the first type of soldier-vampire. The Count was very pleased by my evolution. We were going to leave but my family managed to locate me and carry me off. I put up a struggle and I… hurt many people in my household.” Klaus looked to Gilbert.

“Master Klaus, please, I had long forgiven you. I don’t blame you, never had blamed you.”

Edward and Alphonse realized the implications. Klaus attacked Gilbert and it was probably why the butler resembled a mummy! Klaus sighed sadly.

“Then, out of nowhere, a man showed up at the door. He introduced himself as Blitz Abrams. He was an expert of the supernatural and an alchemist. He promised that he might be able to cure me and there was a great possibility that I wouldn’t survive the cure. I took my chances and agreed to be an experiment. I was mostly cured but my appearance was forever changed. He stayed as a guide and disappeared before the military arrived and that is my story. Haven’t seen him since, but he writes from time to time.”

“Mr. Abrams sounds like an alchemist who is into bio-alchemy. It’s too bad that we can’t speak to him.”

“I will make sure to mention you in the next letter I write to him. Now, I’m sure you exhausted by the journey. Please, rest for the day. We’ll discuss further our move and take you to the first crime scenes tomorrow. Hm, Sergeant Renfro should be here by now.” Klaus looked at the door.

Steven sighed, “That sergeant probably slept in late from his nightly conquest.”

Klaus sighed and stood up. “Very well, I’ll take you to your rooms.”

Edward and Alphonse were stunned. A high-ranking officer was willing to personally take them to where they would be living. Colonel Klaus von Reinherz was indeed a good man. 

Leo and Michela had settled in their hotel room. Michela by the window with Sonic in her lap. Sonic purred as his ear was rubbed just as he liked it. The radio was playing music and she hummed along with the tune. Leo left the bathroom refreshed and redressed. He sat on the bed and looked over his sister. His sister turned her face towards him.

“So, what now? We found the one Riga had sent to find.”

Leo sighed and ruffled his hair, “Don’t know. It was fine to look for them with what little information we were given. But to find out that those two are a part of the military.”

Leo stood up and paced. 

“Right, I’ve almost forgotten about that. They're supposed to be just kids… but they work for the military. If the military found out about your eyes!”

Leo rested his hands on the oak vanity. He looked into the mirror and opened his eyes. His eyes were not ordinary human eyes. They were made from blue glass craved in runes of language, not of their world. Leo snapped his eyes shut.

“They’ll never let me go and I wouldn’t be able to take care of you! I’ll be trapped and the homunculus…”

Michela bit her lip. She clung to the blanket draped over her legs. Sonic sat up and hugged her arm.

“They’ll kill you for your eyes to take to their father.”

“We can’t let that happen!” Leo sighed and took a breath. “We’ll have to learn more about the Elrics and see if they can be trusted.”

The Elrics were given a room in the dormitory building. The dorms were in another building attached to headquarters. Their room looked like a very nice apartment, continuing the art deco theme. The bed was very nice! Edward almost sunk into the blankets and mattress. After putting their suitcases away, the brothers had a huddle.

“The Blood Ritualists have their own agenda. They are very bold to disregard with Central. But I agree with them. Something is going on in Central and we had both agreed it’s something to do with the Philosopher’s Stone.”

Alphonse nodded, “Right. They don’t want Central to get the Vampire creator or his vampire. Tomorrow, they’re going to take us to the crime scene.”


	3. Chapter 3

There was banging on the door. Edward bolted out of sleep with a shout. The sudden noise startled Alphonse as well, being so early in the morning startled him as well. Edward snarled and growled as he marched to the door and threw it open.

“WHAT!?” he snapped.

At the door was a soldier with tan skin and white-gray hair. Edward’s eyes widened when he noticed the man’s own widened eyes. They were red. An Ishvalan! The soldier pulled a cigar from his mouth and blew a smoke circle over Edward. He frowned, and he leaned over Edward into his face. 

“Huhhh? What are you doing here kid? I thought this was the Fullmetal Alchemist’s room?”

“I am the alchemist,” Edward growled. “Who are you?”

“For real?! You’re a damn pipsqueak!”

Alphonse groaned. Edward snapped.

“WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A PINT-SIZE MIDGET!”

“I DIDN’T SAY THAT, PUNK, BUT GOOD FOR YOU, YOU’RE AWARE OF YOUR SHORTCOMINGS, HA!”

“YOU BASTARD!”

Edward clapped his hands and he formed a bat with his face and hair. The rude Ishvalan jumped back. A glint in his eyes as he realized that Edward didn’t use a transmutation circle. The soldier bit his finger and a thread of blood unraveled from his cut. The blood grew thicker and formed a barbed sword made of his red blood. Their weapons clashed against each other.

“Holy shit! Red jacket, no need for a transmutation circle…” He glances at his arm. “And complete automail arm. Wow, so you’re the Fullmetal Alchemist. Great, Central is hiring kids! Tch.”

“Who are you calling a brat!?”

“I didn’t say that, dammit!”

“Brother! Please, calm down! Before someone sees. We’re on the same side!”

Edward snorted and stepped back. The Ishvalan put away his blood.

“Wow, that was amazing!” Alphonse praised.

The man shrugged with a smirk. Looking at his hand, there was an intricate scar of a transmutation circle. It was bright and red over his skin. 

“Whoa, tattoo scarification. I’ve read about that! There are cultures who scar designs into their skins. Wow, you use it for your blood alchemy!”

“Yeah, I brought the idea to these guys. The alchemist that use their blood have their own scar designs. Name’s Sergeant Zapp Renfro. Usually how scarification works is that the design turns white and rises. But, because we use are alchemy quite often it stays open and red. It doesn’t take much concentration to keep the wound open with our blood.”

“That name doesn’t sound very Ishvalan.” Edward pointed out.

Sergeant Renfro clicked his tongue, “… Ya’ hungry?”

Zapp took the Elrics to Dianne’s Diner. It was a restaurant on the corner of an intersection, practically in the heart of the city within walking distance of headquarters. A man and a woman owned the place. The woman was the daughter of the man. She greeted and told them to sit anywhere. Zapp had the brothers sit with him at the barstools. 

“Sergeant, how did you become a blood alchemist?

Zapp sighed, “As you know-it-alls are aware, Isvhalans are wholly against alchemy. The perverted science. Basically, I didn’t have anybody to raise me to be a proper Ishvalan. I was found by some old traveler who was a master blood ritualist. Long before the colonel became one. He could use two-attributes, fire and wind. He decided to train me and that was that. Now, I don’t need your pity, tin man! I can feel you pitying me! Besides, I’m not completely breaking my beliefs. I use the blood alchemy to weaponize my own blood. I’m not creating anything. I’m not a artist to be creative or a scientist. I just follow my gut and my natural talent.”

“And you joined the military?” Edward asked.

Zapp sighed, “You two ask a lot of questions. How I became alchemist is enough for ya’!”

“Fine, then what about the vampires?”

“Mmm, about that… I guess you’ll be taken to the crime scenes, but I can give you some info. The first murder was two months ago. They’ve been steadily increasing since then. Along with the murders, there have been disappearances.”

“Do you think they’ve just been killed somewhere else?” Edward sipped his coffee.

“That what we thought when the murders first started. Alright, did you eat enough… Hey, tin man! You didn’t eat at all!”

“Um, I’m an early riser… I had breakfast at headquarters!”

“Fine, c’mon, let’s go!”

“Hey! Pay before you go!” Yelled Vivian the waitress.

Zapp patted his pockets and winced, “Oops, forgot my wallet! Hey, you State Alchemists get the big bucks, right?”

Edward growled. Alphonse put a hand on his brother’s shoulder to keep him calm. 

The neighborhood that was wide awake for so early in the morning. A building was blocked off by a combination of police and military. Lt. Col. Starphase was speaking to a less than tall man with a swoop of hair covering one of his eyes. He appeared to be barking up at Steven, while the Lt. Col. just calmly stood over him. Steven noticed Zapp and the Elrics and waved them over. 

“Zapp,” his voice was light, and his smile was warm, but the air felt frigid. “Why are the Elrics here?”

“I thought it would be better for them to see a fresh scene,” Zapp grinned.

“Why is a kid here? This is a crime scene, not a damn playground!”

“Detective Daniel Law,” Steven held his hand out to Edward, “This is Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist sent directly from Central.”

The man’s eye widened, and he gapped at Edward, “What?! This guy’s a state alchemist?! Goddammit, damn you dogs!”

“Mr. Elric is fully capable to handle this situation.”

“THIS situation?!”

“He was sent from Central specifically for this case regarding the murders. This happened just last night. It’s a mess.”

All looked at the entrance. There was a puddle gather on a step. As it pooled there were dribbling streams that slid down and was creating another pool on the street. Edward could smell the tinge of iron in the air. Fresh blood. 

“It isn’t pretty in there,” warned Steven.

“I want to see it.” Edward insisted.

Daniel sighed and waved at another officer to let them pass. Edward winced as they entered the building. The scent of blood had become heavier. Alphonse gasped as they took in the scene. Zapp was right. The entire room was painted red with blood. There was no surface left untouched. Throughout the room, were bodies and parts of bodies strewn about. Edward took a deep breath and crouched down to hand and wrist. It was a very clean cut. Incredibly clean. Uncomfortably clean. All the body parts had been cut. Zapp clicked his tongue, muttering that Edward didn’t hurl. Daniel sighed.

“This is the base of the Lazloro Family. One of the top mafia families in the city, the most dangerous, and for years we could never pin them to their crimes. Their ancient leader… that wrinkled red prune over there… that’s his head, was Francesco Lazloro. According to their roster, every member has been killed. Except for one. Some two-bit thug that recently joined for a few months. Some guy named Tonio. Didn’t even have a last name.”

“Whoever did this must have taken the guy,” Edward confirmed.

“Why kill everyone and take him?” asked Alphonse.

“Yes, as we had explained. There had been killings, but recently, they’re have been people disappearing,” reminded Steven.

“This city has become more than just a feeding ground for the vampires,” muttered Edward, “They’re also increasing their numbers.”

Daniel pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Taking a drag, he cursed under his breath.

Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a little white monkey. The white monkey that belonged to Leo. His large eyes took in the scene. Overlaid over his eyes were blue rune creating eyes. Sonic turned his head left and right. The runes spin as they adjusted their focus. His owner was in their hotel room sitting on the bed with his eyes opened. He shuddered to see the room of bloody horrors. Leo fought hard to keep his breakfast down. He explained the sight to his sister, insisting to know what he was seeing and threatened him to not to withhold anything.

“Edward was sent to figure out the murders happening in the city.”

“Wow, he must be very amazing.”

“He may be amazing, but, it doesn’t tell us whether or not we should get close to him. I don’t want to be a part of whatever is going on in this city, but I am supposed to witness something that surrounds Edward. Something big is coming. I see it. I see the all the lines pointing to Central, deep in the earth.”

“I think Edward and Alphonse might be good.” 

Leo sighed with a smile, “Ever hopeful, Michela.”

“I understand you being cautious. But even now, we’re are in danger. We’ve always have been for three years.”

“We should have never come here in the first place, but our parents wanted so badly for you to walk.”

“Shhh, Leo. Hey, you’re not pushing yourself too hard? Don’t look too hard. Just have Sonic keep watch and check on them every hour.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ve seen enough.”

Leo closed his eyes. Michela made a good call. The slight hint of a headache was coming on. He stretched and stood up.

“Hey, why don’t we visit Patrick and Neyka.”

“Yes!” 

Leo and Michela go to Dianne’s. Vivian was overjoyed to see him, leaving from behind the counter and gave them each a big hug. She offered to make them a lunch special on the house. It was a tempting offer, but they really wanted to see Patrick. Vivian winked in understanding. 

“Hey, Dad, remember that Leo has some dishes to wash.”

Her dad nodded in understanding and thumbed over his shoulder to the kitchen. Leo pushed his sister around the counter, Vivian promised to make their favorite dish when they finished their work. There were dirty dishes waiting to be washed. The dishes were passed over for the pantry. In the pantry were crates of fresh produce and a huge ice box where meat and other items needing to be kept chilled. Leo opened his eyes. Through them, he could see a symbol of a great tree within an outline of a circle. A language that wasn’t spoken by human tongue was writing around the ring. It was drawn on a wall that was cleared of the crates. Leo reached into his coat and pulled out a small glass vial. The vial is uncorked, and a slimy, sparkling blue substance coats his two fingers. Leo draws four characters in the language that matched the wall. Now, one would think that such a manner of decoding would be easy. However, the language as previously mentioned wasn’t human and the characters changed based on the person that was deciphering the language. Each character was drawn in the four corners of the circle. The characters glowed on the wall and slid into the symbol of the tree. A seam sliced the wall down the middle from floor to ceiling. The walls pull apart revealing the hazy fog from above. There were floating chunks of earth. Plush green grass grew on top of the earth. Some had small trees growing. From the opening of the pantry was a concrete foot bridge. It was very old, practically ancient with twisting, gnarled vines twisted around it. The far end of the bridge there was a great tree. Within its roots as thick as pillars, a door. A wooden door with a heavy ring for a door opener. 

“I really wish I could see what you’re seeing, Leo. With these eyes, I only have a hint, just a glimmer of the magic in the air. I see the door that leads to the Beyond. I wish I can see the Yggdrashiad tree entirely.”

“I won’t lie to you. It is quite a sight. The doorway to the Beyond.”

Crossing the bridge, they entered through the door. On the other side, there was bustling life with strange lifeforms. Beings of dreams and of nightmares. Beings that had been imagined from the imagination of human artists and storytellers. Clothed creatures, some with multiple eyes, multiple limbs, claws on their hands, and tentacles for mouths. Beings with bulbous heads without eyes and steel-plated faces with glinting colorful glass eyes built in. The city life here in the Beyond was like a strange mirror-image of the world Above. Amongst these incredible beings were speckles of humans in their midst. Humongous beasts with only two muscular arms, crawled on the streets pulling streetcars on tracks. In the foggy sky, flying giant centipedes undulate and strange flying things somewhat birdlike and eyeballs with flapping leather wings. Amongst the weird, there were speckles of humans walking alongside such strangeness. Much like what Leo and Michela were doing now. When Leo received the eyes, his eyes were open to the otherworld, the Beyond. 

One of the streetcars pulled by a monster is caught by the siblings. After several blocks and a turn or two at a bus stop. A walk past a block and they were in front of a dark three-story building. Leo opened the door for Michela to roll herself in. The bell on the door jingled and signaled a between their age. The girl’s sleepy blue eyes widened, she smiled with delight.

“Neyka!” Michela cheered.

Neyka jumped out of her chair and rushed around the counter. She nearly tackled Michela into her own chair. Michela laughed and hugged Neyka in return.

“It’s been too long!”

“Hey, Neyka!” Leo waved.

Neyka waved at Leo. Pulling away, Neyka ran back behind the counter and disappeared through an open doorway. In less than two minutes, there were thundering footsteps and a roar of deep laughter. A large man with a thick, dark mane and dark skin nearly crashed his forehead on the beam of the doorway. His joy pierced through his shades. 

“LEO! MICCHY! HEEEEY!”

Leo yelped as he was swept into the man’s thick, burly arms through the man’s sweater. The man jumped up and down and swung Leo about. Michela and Neyka laughed. 

“G-good… ach, to see you… oof… too, Patrick! Please… put me down!”

“Wow, this is great,” Patrick dropped Leo, “I didn’t think you would come back the Lot. Or rather, I didn’t think you would come down here! I mean, I heard is crazy up there,” Patrick pointed to the ceiling. “It’s also worse down here. The vampires! We already know that some upstairs mafia had been sliced and diced last night!”

Neyka nodded.

“So, what brought you guys back?”

Coffee was passed around the gathering by the display window. Patrick listened with raised eyebrows at their explanation. When finished with their story he is silent as he smokes his cigarette. He hums and looked at Leo.

Patrick nods in understanding, “Alright, I got just the thing. Also, a bit of warning. There have been sightings of homunculi. Now, they could be here for several reasons. I heard of this Fullmetal. He had his run-in with those things. They could be here for him.”

“Or they could be here for us. It’s been some time since our last visit.” Leo ran a hand through his hair, making it messier. “Dammit!”

“Leo, it’s going to be fine. We’re ready for them this time.”

“You will be with what I got for ya’,” grinned Patrick maliciously. “Stick around, it will only take me a minute to find it. I’ve been tinkering since we last saw each other. Relax, I know how you both feel about guns. You rather maim or hinder your opponents than kill them. Anyway, what’s the plan?” Patrick looked at Leo. “Will you help the state alchemist, a dog of the military?”

“There’s so much as risk though! With these Eyes, what if I become the property of the military? While at the same time, the homunculi are after me for them! They’ll kill me…”

“On one hand, if you side with the military, you will be protected by them. You would be a very valuable case study. But, you don’t want to be strapped to them… hmmm, let me talk to the Colonel.”

“Colonel?” Leo tilted his head.

“He’s a good guy. He runs the city, this post, as he sees fit and the people like him. He and his unit take no crap from Central and Central can’t really do much because they don’t understand them. Well, do you want me to set up a meeting, Leo?”

Leo thought really hard for about a minute. He looked at Patrick and nodded.

The investigation continued as Edward and Alphonse were taken to the Bradbury Hospital. It was a unique place where the army medics worked with the civilian staff. The head medic was Lieutenant Luciana Estevez, another loyal follower of Col. von Reinherz. She was a very busy woman being all over the place, checking in on staff, patients, and helping Edward in their investigation. In the hospital basement, the vampire victims’ corpses were kept under lock and key and guard. These corpses were drained completely of blood just like the reports. Their attackers were brutal about it. It appeared that most had their neck snapped. Luciana deducted from the autopsy, that their neck was yanked to the side before the vampire sunk their fangs in. Hopefully, they were killed instantly. 

“All the attacks happened at night?” asked Edward.

“Yes, and are found the next morning or later in the day,” Luciana confirmed.

“Then it looks like we’ll be patrolling the streets at night.”

Alphonse nodded in understanding. Sonic has continued his watch over the Elric brothers from the ledge of a building. Several floors above him, luckily, he was out of sight, there were three beings watching the brothers as well. All dressed in black were a curvaceous female, a wide-short male with a bald head, and a being of an undetermined gender. 

“Well, well,” murmured the female. “What a coincidence. We were tracking the Watches and happen to come upon our dear friends, the Elrics.”

“This isn’t good,” grumbled the other. “Father won’t be happy if the Beholder of the All-Seeing-Eyes of the Gods allies themselves with them. He’ll spoil the big surprise.”

“Which is why we must find them and killed them,” the female purred.

The short-wide man grinned. Drool flows out of the corner of his mouth like a dripping faucet. 

“I get them eat them, yes, Lust?!”

“Everything, but the Eyes,” Lust reminded him gently. “Father wants the Eyes. Hundreds of years ago there was a Witness when Father was first born and the Fall of Xerxes. The Witness was a friend of the Elrics’ father.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know the story. After the fall, the witness gouged out his eyes and crushed the Eyes. Riga 

Zapp returned the Elrics to headquarters and promptly left them on their own. Until mid-afternoon, the Elrics gathered every piece of information regarding the vampire creator. They read through all the reports regarding those murdered, who was missing with photos provided. Edward noticed that most of those missing were healthy and young individuals between their early twenties to early thirties. They were beautiful and handsome people. The military and the police had increased their numbers in patrolling the streets, but none of them had encountered any of them. Yet. 

Klaus was at his desk when the phone rings. He picked up the phone and was greeted by a friend.

“Patrick, it’s good to hear from you, friend… Yes… yes, your work on the car is exquisite. Gilbert takes very good care of it. Hm, no, we haven’t gotten into a situation to use its extra features… Now, now, don’t be sad. Hm? A favor for a friend. He would like to meet with me. Our doors are open to the public, we… Yes…… I see. I understand your friend’s hesitations. Hmm, mostly with the Fullmetal Alchemist from Central. Yes. They do seem like good people. They have been eager to figure out the murders. We can set-up a meeting with him and myself. It would just be me and Steven. We will come to you. Tonight? I’m sure Steven and I can get away for the night. See you tonight, Patrick.”

“Going out tonight, sir?”

Klaus looked to his butler, who stood in the doorway of the office. 

“Yes, meeting with Patrick and an old friend of his.”

“An old friend of his?”

“Don’t worry about giving us a lift. We’re going into the Beyond.”

“Understood sir, please, excuse me.”

Gilbert bowed and left the office. Just as Gilbert had stepped outside the gate and disappeared around the corner… Gilbert rolled in from shopping in the car.

Zapp returned the Elrics to the garrison by sunset. He absolutely declined to join them in their night patrol. The sergeant told them that solving the murders was their mission since they were big shot alchemists from Central. He had more important things to do during the night! Edward was relieved. The sergeant took them all over the city to other crimes scenes and would at times get sidetracked by some attractive woman every few blocks or got hungry every hour! They would rest before and during dinner to allow the night to fall. 

“KLAUS! STEVEN!” Patrick greeted the two officers outside his shop. It was dark with only a few people. With the murders and disappearances, the citizens of Hellsalem’s Lot were being very cautious. Heading straight home before the sunrise. There was an increase in police on the streets. A few had acknowledged them as they had passed Klaus and Steven.

They both smiled and shook hands with the tall man, who was close to Klaus’ size. 

“Patrick, it’s not that late, but still, your voice,” Klaus warned.

“Heh, then let’s go inside, I got drinks ready! Did you eat? I’m sure Gilbert insisted you had a hot meal before heading out.”

“He did,” Klaus confirmed.

Inside, Neyka waved from the front counter. Patrick nodded to her and she left to the back. Steven looked around. On the wall were many weapons, going from small pistols behind the counter on the wall. The second wall had slightly larger pistols and long rifles, and the final wall had incredibly huge guns that only people like Klaus and Patrick could carry and operate. The three men followed after Neyka into a small kitchen with a large crate with wooden chairs around it.

“Business still going?” asked Steven.

“Can’t complain, especially with all these murders… oh, uh…”

Klaus sighed, “We’re doing our best, but it isn’t enough…” he took a seat. “They sent a state alchemist directly from Central.”

“Yeah, I heard about that about town and from the guy that wanted to meet ya’. Neyka went in the back to get him. He has some concerns about him. Told him he could trust you to protect him and his sister.”

“Protect them from what?”

“Listen, I’ve known these kids for a while. We were introduced by another old friend. They’ve gone through a lot. But, my main concern is with one of them.”

Footsteps are heard and Neyka led a young man into the kitchen. The man stood before them and stood nervously. The man looked at Patrick. Patrick smiled and nodded with a thumbs up. He took a shaky breath.

“M-my name is Leonardo Watch. I… I have some questions about the Fullmetal Alchemist. I want to know if he could be trusted with a secret of mine. If it is safe for me to help him.”

“Help him?” Steven frowned.

“Mr. Watch, we’ve only known Mr. Elric for a few hours. But, personally, I feel that the young man can be trusted. He isn’t a true dog of the military.”

“Yes, we reviewed reports of his past missions,” Steven confirmed. “He gets the job done on his terms. He mostly helps the people, for their sake. His most famous mission that made him well known was back in Leole. He revealed to the entire city that their religious leader was a fraud manipulating them through his alchemy he was passing for ‘miracles’.”

“Oh! I’ve heard of that! That was him?”

“Yeah, really,” Patrick was impressed along with Leo.

“Then there was mining town where he revealed a greedy officer in charge to be taking money. He’s currently AWOL and on the run.”

“So, the Fullmetal Alchemist… is a good guy… that’s great!”

“Young man, why do you need to be sure you could talk to the Fullmetal Alchemist? What secret do you have? We gave you information, I think you should do the same.” Steven insisted.

Leo looked to Patrick once again, “It’s okay, Leo, you can trust these guys. They’re just like the Fullmetal kid! I wouldn’t work for them and give them my best weapons and skills if they weren’t!”

“Well, it happened several years ago…”

“My family was a normal family that lived in the countryside, outside of Hellsalem’s Lot. My father was a doctor and he served in the war. He was one of the lucky ones who survived. Dad never talked about the war. He used to have nightmares. Other than that, we were just a normal family. It was in October on the third, year eleven. A god appeared before my sister and I. Yes, a god. A god with many eyes. In one of his hands, he held out a pair of eyes and demanded that we choose who would bear witness. I was terrified out of my mind! I couldn’t move or speak. Then, my sister, Michela spoke up and volunteered to give up her sight. In doing that, I became the witness. To bind the contract, my sister’s eyes were taken. I guess that’s what you alchemist call… equivalent exchange. 

Our parents were shocked and…. well… anyway, it took some time with but eventually, my dad started to help me with my Eyes…”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Steven raised his hands. “Your eyes? Your eyes were given to you by a god?”

“Steven, let’s here the whole story first…” Klaus nodded to Leo. “Please continue, Mr. Watch.”

“… It provided a distraction for my dad, he began to study my eyes and doing experiments, to see what I can see through them. I’ve seen so many things. Some amazing and some horrifying. Then, I started seeing the lines. Red lines… when I started to notice lines… When I stared at the lines, my Eyes would follow the lines to different points in the world. One of them being Ishval. All the lines were being connected and they all pointed to Central and when I looked deep under Central I saw him… I saw a man that was as horrifying as the god that gave me the Eyes! …and he saw me! I told this to my dad and he began doing research and he contacted old army friends who were alchemists. He realized something and became scared. By the time he had figured out what was going on, we were found by homunculi. Dad stayed behind. He made us and our Mom leave our home at night. The plan was for us to hide in the city. We never heard from him ever again. We were on the road and by morning they caught up to us and attacked us. They caused the car we were in to crash. It killed our mom and crushed Michela’s legs. They wanted me. They said that their father wanted my Eyes. It was at that time when Patrick and Neyka arrived on the situation and fought the homunculi off. They took us in and took us to Hellsalem’s Lot and hid us in the Beyond. Patrick had friends who helped Michela.”

Leo was sitting now. He sniffed and hid his face with an arm.

“It was my fault! It’s my fault! I should have… left home and did as the god said! But I was too scared to leave home! It’s my fault that our parents are dead! My fault that my sister got hurt so badly… she lost her legs!”

“Mr. Watch,” Klaus spoke up. “Leonardo… the actions of these homunculi are not your fault! It is clear from what you had witnessed, what your Eyes revealed to you is something the homunculi don’t want anyone to know about. They have ill-intentions for this world.”

Klaus stood up and put his hands-on Leo’s shoulders, “We’ll help and introduce you to the Fullmetal Alchemist. You and your sister will be placed strictly under our protection!”

The door at the front jingled. Patrick frowned.

“Whoops thought I locked it! I’ll be back!”

Patrick stood up, “Hey,” his voice boomed. “We’re close! I didn’t lock the door, but the sign does say close…right?!”

Leo looked in the direction of the front door. He gasped and jumped to his feet.

“PATRICK! It’s a homunculus!” 

There was a curse and a crashed. Then gunfire!

“Neyka!” Patrick roared. “Take Leo to the BEYOND! AAAAAAAGH!”

“Steven, escort them to the Beyond!” Klaus was on his feet. The decorated wound of a cross on his hand glowed.

“Klaus!”

“We can’t let them get their hands-on Leonardo!”

Steven gritted his teeth, sighed, and nodded. Neyka grabbed Leo’s hand and the two ran with Steven on their heels. A thought came to Steven. How did Leo know there was a homunculus? Did his Eyes allowed him to see him through the walls?! What other powers were his Eyes capable of?

From a distance, Edward and Alphonse heard an explosion. A section of the city was bathed in a red light. Without saying a word, the brothers raced the blood-red light show!


End file.
